Italian Farro Salad with Herbed Beans

Salad for dinner usually means it’s going to be a stress free night, but I know some of you might get worried that it won’t be filling enough, especially when the salad is vegetarian. Let this salad pacify all of your concerns. The combination of farro, an Italian ancient whole grain, and cannellini beans, a variety of beans that is popular in Italy, will leave you totally satisfied. The addition of bright and crunchy vegetables makes it fibrous and filling as well. Italians don’t traditionally serve big, filling salads… but we’re not in Italy, so from a fellow American-Italian girl, I give you permission to make this salad for dinner (or lunch).

Note: This is considered a composed salad, which means there is a mix of different ingredients that may be seasoned or dressed separately but are assembled and plated together on one plate. Because it is a composed salad, be sure to not mix the ingredients when plating. It should be arranged tastefully on each plate with every component in order to showcase each individual ingredient.

Total time: 25 minutes

Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients

Salad:

3 cups of farro, (preferably cooked in low sodium chicken broth), cooked according to packaging directions

1 cup gourmet medley blend of cherry tomatoes, halved

7 sweet peppers, sliced

½ bulb of fennel, mandolined about 1/4” thick

1 cup of mandolined English cucumber, about 1/8” thick

6 cups of mixed greens

1 cup of basil

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives

Juice of 1 lemon

Vinaigrette:

½ cup of extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 clove of garlic, minced

3½ tbsp of finely chopped parsley

1/4 cup of finely chopped basil

2½ tsp creamy almond butter

Herbed Beans:

2 15oz cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (Lupini beans would work as well)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

5 tbsp finely chopped chives

½ tsp salt

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley including the stems

Herbed Beans:

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine all of herbed beans ingredients. Let sit for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. In a small bowl, combine the fennel, lemon juice and a 1/4 tsp salt. Using your hands, massage and mix the ingredients. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, add a 1/4 tsp salt to the English cucumber. Using your hands, mix together. Set aside.

4. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sweet peppers and saute until browned and tender, about 7-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside.

5. Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients. Add the mixed greens and basil to a large bowl. Gradually and slowly pour 3/4 of the vinaigrette around the perimeter of the bowl, coating the sides of the bowl. Using tongs, gently toss to combine. Divide the greens amongst each shallow bowl.

6. Arrange the farro, cannellini beans, fennel, English cucumber, sweet peppers and tomatoes on each plate. Top with kalamata olives.

7. Spoon the remaining vinaigrette on to each individual serving of the cooked farro. Enjoy!